The Parable of the Rich Fool

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The Parable of the Rich Fool

• Luke 1213-21

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Introduction

• Imagine your giving a serious public talk
• Its a subject you are passionate about
• You are in the middle of the topic
• You are building to a climax
• Then someone interrupts and makes an off-topic
  comment
• This parable will be Jesus response to such a
  circumstance

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Setting

• Lk 121-3
• Jesus teaching a large crowd
• Warning about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees
• Lk 124-7
• Teaching about fearing God
• Lk 128-12
• Instruction about confessing Christ before men

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A request

• Luke 1213
• A man asks Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute
• Shows where his thoughts have been while Jesus
  talked
• Not on spiritual matters
• But on how to get money from his brother
• Perhaps like some may be thinking about baseball
  or football during a sermon

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Jesus response

• Luke 1214
• Man Not as rude as it sounds in English
• Used in Lk 520 (some translate it friend)
• Refuses to get involved in worldly things
• The government already had means for settling
  such questions
• His purpose was not to replace civil authority
• Religious teachers today would do well to follow
  Jesus example

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Jesus response

• Luke 1315
• Addressed to all the audience
• Greed (as demonstrated by the questioner) is a
  sin almost everyone wrestles with
• Greed is the desire for MORE
• Life is not about how many things you have
• Even if you have a lot of things
• To illustrate, Jesus tells a parable

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The Parable

• Luke 1216-19
• A rich man has a very good harvest
• He must decide what to do with the excess
• His current barns (adequate for all preceding
  harvests) are not enough
• Decides to tear down those barns and build bigger
  barns
• Then he can retire and live off the income from
  selling the produce

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Modernizing the parable

• Jesus parable was meant to step on toes, so
  well try to get the same impact
• There was a well-paid employee
• He got a great promotion
• He was blessed with a salary and benefits more
  than he needed to live
• He needed to decide what to do with the extra
• He decided to invest it (IRA, 401k, stocks, etc)
• Then he figured he could retire and live off the
  income

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Finishing the parable

• Lk 1220
• God calls him a fool (lit. without a mind)
• The man would die that very night
• Who would make use of those things he had
  prepared?

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Analyzing the parable

• The man assumes life consists of his possessions
• What he has is his and is purely for his benefit
• Fails to know when he has enough for himself
• God not opposed to taking care of self and family
• Each needs to know when there is enough
• Fails to consider other uses for excess
• Considers self to be the source of his blessing
• A better response would be as in Ps 11612

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Applying the parable

• Luke 1221
• All who store riches for self and are not rich
  toward God are in the same position
• If your plans for the future focus on self and
  not on God and others, then God would say you
  have lost your mind
• Should make us squirm when we consider our own
  visions of the future
• Not that all plans are evil, but see James 413-17

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How can we be rich toward God?

• 1 Tim 617-19
• A willingness to be parted from the riches
• Using what one has to help others
• 1 Timothy 66-12
• Be content with food and clothing
• Dont want to be rich
• Dont love money
• Rather flee from them and pursue righteousness,
  godliness, faith, love, etc

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How????

• Some may be thinking, How? We have to live.
  The kids have to go to college. I may have
  medical bills. There may be a disaster.
• Jesus answers all those questions
• Luke 1222-32
• Its a matter of faith and trust
• Its a matter of priorities

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How????

• Still having trouble with the idea?
• Jesus has a radical solution
• Luke 1233-34
• Get rid of the source of your problem
• The same advice he gave to the rich young ruler
• Matt 1921
• If you get rid of the possessions, then they
  wont be a concern
• You wont buy your way into heaven, but it will
  show where your heart is

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Conclusion

• One can store up vast amounts of treasure
• But it will not make one rich toward God
• To be rich toward God
• Our priorities must change (from self to God)
• Our heart must be with the new priorities
• Our actions must follow from that change of heart
• Any less is simply unacceptable to God

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